North Dakota ..

AGRICULTURAL SERIES NO-.3 AGRICULTURAL SERIES NO.3

UNITED STATES RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION UNITED STATES RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

Monograph

NORTH

DAKOTA

FOREWORD oak

Fargo, North Dakota

To the man of small means who seeks industriously to build
a home of his own, North Dakota offers an unusual opportunity.
To the man who is able to invest in considerable amount and
also give his entire time and effort to farming, North Dakota
gives promise of most gratifying returns.

The attention of the home seeker who contemplates a change
of location is invited to the pages of this booklet. The contents
have been most carefully prepared by members of the agri-
cultural college, representatives of the agricultural section,
United States Railroad Administration, and others, all of whom
are eminently qualified by training and experience to set forth
the facts as they exist. I take pleasure in commending this
publication.

To make a success in North Dakota, the farmer must meet
the North Dakota conditions: The crops grown, the methods
of culture, the growing of fruit and trees, the raising of stock,
etc., must be done according to good North Dakota practice.
These problems have been investigated by the North Dakota
Agricultural College through the experiment station, which
operates at thirty points in the State, and the results are pub-
lished in bulletins and circulars. As president of the North
Dakota Agricultural College, I invite you to make use of its
four divisions: Resident Instruction, Experiment Station,
Regulatory, and Extension. The Experiment Station with its
data and the Extension Division through its county agents
and other field workers can be of special service to you in your
farming operations.

A study of the following pages will give you some idea of the
opportunities the State offers. We invite you to come and look

.

President, North Dakota Agricultural College.

Bismarck, North Dakota

The State of North Dakota is in a position at the present
time to offer greater inducements to settlers, home seekers and
home builders than at any other time in its history. In extend-
ing an invitation to persons seeking farms or homes, North
Dakota is calling attention to the industrial program of the
State which ushers in ‘“A New Day in the State.”

The Sixteenth Legislative Assembly in Senate Bill 19, which
passed both houses of the Legislature and was signed by the
Governor, has provided for the loaning of the credit of the
State to home or farm builders, to enable them to establish
farms or homes on the most advantageous terms.

A bond «+. :

issue has been provided for by the Legislature to finance this ,_ ;

proposition. The State is permitted to loan its credit for the
erection of homes costing up to $5,000 and farms costing up
to $10,000 each.

Under the terms of this act any person may open a home
buying account with the State. They may deposit with the
State their savings, so much per month, on which the State
will allow interest. Whenever any person has deposited savings
or monthly payments or a lump sum equal to twenty per cent
of the total cost of building or buying a home or farm desired
by the applicant, the State will loan the applicant the balance
of the purchase price at interest rates covering only the cost
of carrying out the provisions of the act. The applicant can
immediately take possession of the farm or home, on which
the State will take a mortgage and the indebtedness may be
repaid in small annual installments, that will result in the
payment of the principal in from ten to twenty years.

This is only one of many of the important acts included in
the new North Dakota industrial program.

In addition the State Legislature has passed a grain grading
law which is one of the fairest to the producer of any existing
in any state; it has provided for State owned and operated hail
insurance at cheap rates on crops; it has provided for a great
central reserve bank owned and operated by the State, which
bank will not only loan farmers and settlers money on first
mortgages on land but will facilitate the financing of producers
by loaning money on warehouse receipts for stored farm
products. This great central bank will place credit under
public jurisdiction and will have the effect of making banking
and financial conditions in North Dakota more favorable to
new settlers than they ever have been.

Besides these laws adopted by the last Legislature which
the State expects will attract settlers from every part of the
United States, the Legislature of North Dakota two years ago
adopted a seed and feed bonding act, an act which enables
farmers of the State to borrow through their counties, money
for feeding stock or for sowing crops, at cost rates of interest,

and which the farmers of the State last year freely availed

themselves of.

As long as the supply lasts the Industrial Commission of
North Dakota, Bismarck, N. Dak., will send to any person
desiring it a pamphlet called “The New Day in North Dakota”
which contains copies of the principal laws relating to the new
industrial program enacted by the Sixteenth Legislative Assem-
bly last winter. Persons desiring this book should enclose four
cents for postage.

f lb.

‘ov 26 1919

Commissioner of Agriculture.

Wheat harvesting in North Dakota where more than one hundred million bushels were produced in 1918

North Dakota was made for farming. Its broad,
rich acres are spread out on a level or gently undu-
lating plain. The making of a farm requires only
turning *the sod with the plow. The lay of the land
makes possible the using of the most modern farm
machinery and in large units. The four, five, or six
horse team is the rule, and one man doing two or
three, or even six, men’s work, as compared to some
other sections. The conditions are ideal for using the
tractor. Land is so abundant and cheap that more
is worked by nearly every one than can be done
well, yet the returns per farmer have been greater
than in the older states.

The distribution of the rainfall is most advan-
tageous. Nearly all of it comes during May, June,
and July, when the crops are growing. The fall and
winter precipitation is light. This results in very
little run off, and hence no leaching of the soil,
which may in a large measure account for its rich-
ness. This is also in a large measure responsible
for the good roads that can be had at all seasons.

RAINFALL AVERAGES

Sep .|Oct .| Nov/Dec.

Amenia....| 22 | .46) .38] .61/2.00/2.84/3.74/3

Wahpeton .| 23 | .41| .48|1.00|2. 18|2.61/3.89/3.5
ae I 45 | 04 - 88) .92|1.65/2.37/3 49/2

evils Lake} 42 | - .84/1.21/2.13/3.4
Jamestown | 26 } .07\/1.75/2.66/3.60|2
Bismarc 1 | 02/1 .64}/2.18/3.33|2.2
Williston ..| 3 -63}/1.15/2.06/3.45|1.88
Bottineau..} 2 -84| .87/2.10/3.22|2
Minot - 7O\1T. 18/2,03}3.50|\1.80/2.

The summers are ideal for growing crops, and the
days are about as warm as in Iowa or Illinois but
the nights are cool. The winters are cold but bright
and sunshiny.

Most of the soils are rich, fine-textured loams,
giving them a large capacity for storing moisture.
The subsoil in most parts is a fine clay. Water is
easy to find. In several sections flowing wells can
be secured.

Trees do well when planted on properly prepared
land and cultivated for a few years. Vegetables of
the finest quality can be grown in abundance and

NORTH DAKOTA

A Thoroughbred and reliable power plant like this one, found on many North Dakota farms

such small fruits as currants, gooseberries, June-
berries, and plums do well.

The fuel problem has been forever solved in North
Dakota. The western half of the State is underlaid
with lignite—a kind of soft coal. In most cases the
farmer can help himself, or it can be purchased at the
mines for $1.50 to $2.00 per ton.

The: school advantages of the State are well
developed. The large well-built schoolhouses are a
surprise to those who visit the State. Many of the
high schools offer courses in agriculture and home
economics. The four normal schools—the Science
School, the Industrial Normal, the University, and
the Agricultural College—offer instructions on
nearly all subjects.

The church life of the State is well developed.
The leading fraternal societies, both social and
beneficiary, are to be found in most localities.

North Dakota is one of the leading grain-produc-
ing states; producing more spring wheat than any
other state, about half the flax crop of the United
States, more rye than any other two states, and is
third in barley production. Sixty million bushels
of oats, 9,000,000 bushels of potatoes, and about
9,000,000 bushels of corn were produced in 1918.

This State is eminently a live stock one, as evi-
denced by the great buffalo herds that formerly
roamed the prairies of North Dakota. The rich and

abundant native grasses, light winter snow, and the
cold but dry winters were very favorable to them.

Two packing plants have been erected and many
flour mills are in operation. There are creameries
in many sections of the State.

The transportation facilities in North Dakota are
the best. Four transcontinental railroads cross the
State. From these branch lines radiate so that
practically all sections are within convenient dis-
tance of shipping points.

In many sections farmers have put up rural
telephone lines and the rural free delivery of mail
reaches all parts.

The climate of North Dakota is extremely health-
ful for both man and animal. The air is unusually
dry, clear, and bracing. Comfort and health are
promoted both in winter and summer by the absence
of a surplus of moisture or humidity. Summer days
are warm but summer nights are usually cool and
refreshing. Long days of sunshine due to the
northern latitude cause a rapid growth of crops and
hasten ripening during the growing season. Heat
prostration and sunstroke are unknown.

Spring work starts between the first and the middle
of April, as the warm days bring the frost from the
ground. Usually about six weeks of clear spring
days follow, permitting work and seeding to be
done without delay.

fae

an
ae

Some of the buildings at the Agricultural College at Fargo, North Dakota

According to the United States Weather Bureau
the frost free period varies from 110 to 150 days.

The number of days required for maturing crops
are as follows:

RVIDEA Gries eic\s vv wiiel 95 to 106 days IMU EE cmetaletasiate snare 81 to 112 days

(Oyn Pinte Aa AGC ae 88 to 102 days Spe Se cgstabepene gr to 92 days

13) | eee 82 to 94 days Gorn weicecnies voeks 8DOLE ZOO Gaya)
TRE raters -ctetaiasretciaralad 83 to 95 days

During the winter there is a comparatively light
snowfall. There is but little mud, slush, or sleet.
Roads are almost always in good condition and
facilitate marketing. While below zero weather is
common, yet, because of the dryness of the air, it is not
unpleasantly cold. Stock often graze out most of
the winter, feeding on volunteer growth in stubble
fields and straw piles; feed lots are clean and dry,
and fattening animals ‘‘keep on their feed.”” North
mail climate results in rugged, vigorous animal
ife.

The plant food elements are abundant in:the soils
of this State. Most of the rain falls during the
cropping season. Even the lime, which is one of

the first elements to be thus lost, is so abundant
that the addition of lime is not necessary even for
legumes. In trials with commercial fertilizers at
the North Dakota Experiment Station the fields
fertilized often do not grow a larger crop than the
one to which no fertilizer has been: added, but
barnyard manure applied in a good rotation gives
on an average an added return of $1.50 per ton at
pre-war prices for crops.

North Dakota mortgage lifters

NORTH

DAKOTA

Typical scene on one of North Dakota’s splendid wheat farms

Most of the soils in the State are loams, silt loams,
and sandy loams with smaller areas of clays, clay
loams, and sand. These soils compare in plant food
elements with the prairie soils in the corn belt.
The lime content is the largest in the soils of the
western part of the State.

The Red River Valley, the glacial prairie plains
region, and the unglaciated areas west and south
of the Missouri River, are the three great soil divi-
sions. The Red River Valley soils are fine textured
and black to a depth of ten to forty inches with a
silty clay subsoil. Sandy loam and sand occur in
narrow ridges on the west side of the valley. The
soils of the Red River Valley are classed among the
richest in the world. Alkali is present in injurious
amounts in small areas and drainage is needed in
some places to secure the best results.

The glacial prairie plains in general cover the
area between the Red River Valley and the Missouri
River. It is characterized by its undulating tc
rolling .surface. The natural drainage is good.
The Mouse River loop is in the northern part of this
area. It resembles the Red River Valley in soil
and surface. Silt loams and sandy loams are the
principal soil types in this glaciated region. These
soils have a good plant food content, are black in
color, and usually eight to fourteen inches deep.

The subsoil is of the same or a finer texture than the
surface soil. These soils are easily tilled.

Where detailed soil surveys have been made it has
been found that a type, known as the Barnes loam,
is one of the most extensive of the glacial prairie
plains region. This is a black soil underlaid by a
grayish yellow loam to silty clay loam subsoil.
It is easily tilled and well suited to the growing of
all crops adapted to this region. Analyses of this
type show that it contains from 1,000 to 12,000
pounds of phosphorus, from 5,000 to 6,000 pounds
nitrogen, about 37,000 pounds of potassium, and
about four and one-half tons of limestone per acre
surface seven inches. An acre of the subsurface
(7 to 18 inches in depth) of this soil type contains
150 tons and the subsoil (18 to 40 inches in depth)
about 450 tons of limestone.

The soils of the unglaciated region in south-
western North Dakota are lighter in color than those
derived from glacial drift. The surface is yellowish
brown to dark brown, becoming somewhat lighter
in color with depth. The subsoil is often quite
gray, due to the presence of lime concretions. The
surface is usually rolling and in some localities is too
rough for anything but grazing. A considerable
area in the unglaciated part of the State has been
broken up and in recent years good crops of small

NORTH

DAKOTA

Three generations—whose influence will extend through many more

grain, alfalfa, and corn are produced. The soils
are a little lower in organic matter than those of
the glaciated part of the State, but otherwise do not
differ materially from them in plant food content.

WATER SUPPLY

The farm water supply is derived from streams,
springs, and surface and artesian wells. In some
areas the water from the latter contain a relatively
large amount of soluble salts. The surface wells
vary from 15 to 75 feet in depth. The artesian
wells in the Red River district are usually 250 to 400
feet deep. The streams west of the Missouri River
furnish water in the grazing districts and in places
natural springs furnish a supply of good water.

CROPS

North Dakota is the greatest spring wheat state
in the Union.

Spring wheat was first grown successfully in the
Red River Valley over a hundred years ago by the
Selkirk Colony which settled at Pembina. Prac-
tically all of this valley was broken up between
1880 and 1890, and this section of the State became
justly famous as the ‘“‘bread basket of the world.”

New settlers pushed westward from the valley and
the country was rapidly broken up until now nearly
one-half the tillable land in the State has been turned
over by the plow. Wheat is the greatest crop for
the pioneer farmer because it is so easily grown
with limited capital and machinery. Spring wheat
is sown during the month of April on land which
has been plowed the fall before or which has been
in a cultivated crop the previous year.

The wheat requires no further attention until
harvest time. A man and four horses will cut and
bind fifteen to twenty acres of wheat a day; another
man will shock it up. After a period of ten days or
two weeks it is ready for the threshing machine.
Usually this machine is provided by the man who
makes a specialty of that business. He provides
machinery and labor, including board for men and
teams. The men are fed in a cook car which is
hauled from farm to farm, thus saving the farm
women from the heavy burden of extra work. All
the farmer has to do is to haul the threshed grain
away from the machine. The average machine will
thresh about 2,000 bushels of wheat per day, thus
rapidly cleaning off the small grain fields. If the
field is within three miles of an elevator it is usually
hauled direct to the elevator. At greater distance
the grain is run directly into a bin from the spout

NOR T Hey DAKOTA

One-half of the flax crop of the United States is produced in this State

on the separator and stored there until the fall
plowing is done.

After threshing, the farmer prepares the land for
another crop of wheat by plowing. However, it is
rapidly becoming a thing of the past, as other crops
are found to be more profitable than wheat when
grown on part of the farm; and when wheat is
grown in rotation with corn, potatoes, and the hay
crops, it is found to yield about 60 per cent more
than where wheat follows wheat.

The North Dakota Experiment Station has shown

Waiting for dinner

rather conclusively that wheat grown in rotation
with other crops on the demonstration farms and
sub-stations which are scattered throughout the
State, will yield just as heavily on the average in
western North Dakota as in the Red River Valley.
The yields will not vary so much from year to year
in the valley as they do in the western part, but the
average will be just as great in western North Dakot

as in the eastern part of the State. When all o

North Dakota’s 40,000,000 arable acres are farmed
and systematic crop rotations grown on the farms,
the State will probably be producing three times the
amount of wheat that it is producing at the present
time.

No section of the country offers greater oppor-
tunities to the willing and industrious individual
farmer than North Dakota. Many farmers here
during this past year have produced, without help
from any one until threshing time, 4,000 bushels of
wheat, or enough wheat to feed 800 people for a
period of one year.

North Dakota is the greatest state in the Union in
the production of winter rye. Like spring wheat,
this crop is well adapted to extensive farming. One
man can easily produce 3,000 or 4,000 bushels of
rye with his own labor. Winter rye is usually sown
in the stubble in the fall as soon as the spring wheat
crop is removed. It is no uncommon sight to see a

co

NORTH

DAKOTA

Hemp—one of the promising new crops of North Dakota

grain drill following immediately behind the binder,
the wheat shocks being set up on the newly cut,
freshly seeded field. Winter rye usually germinates
quickly and makes a good growth in the stubble in
the fall. It sometimes furnishes considerable feed
for stock during the the late fall and early spring.
This crop requires no further work until it is ready
for harvest. By this method the land never has
the plow or harrow put upon it from the time the
wheat is seeded until after the rye is cut the follow-
ing year. Rye usually heads out fully the first
week in June.

The rye crop is usually harvested about the middle
of July, and is often threshed and put into the
elevator before the spring wheat crop is ready to cut.
Rye, as a rule, is threshed at the same time as other
small grain crops. In 1918 North Dakota pro-
duced enough rye to furnish bread to feed a city
the size of greater New York for an entire year.

Only two states in the Union produced more
barley in 1918 than North Dakota. It can be sown
as late as the month of June and be reasonably
sure of producing a good yield, as it will ripen in
ninety days from the time it is seeded. Much of
the barley produced is shipped out of the State.
A large amount of it, however, is used for feed,
particularly for hogs and cattle. As a cheap feed

of good quality for live stock barley is only slightly
surpassed by corn.

This State produces oats of the finest quality, and
a weight of forty pounds to the bushel is not uncom-
mon. The oat crop is seeded at the same time as
the spring wheat crop and on identically the same
kind of land. For this reason, oats are not grown
as extensively in North Dakota as they are in some
other states.

North Dakota produces about one-half the flax
grown in the Union. New sod is plowed in April,
May, and early June and then seeded to flax. It
is not an uncommon thing for a settler to buy a
new farm, break it up and put it into flax and from
the returns of the one crop pay all his expenses and
cost of the land. During the past few years flax
has sold for $1.50 to $4 a bushel on the local market.
The yield per acre frequently runs from 15 to 20
bushels, the cost of production being low. The
extra work required in growing a crop of flax
after breaking new land in the spring, is to roll the
sod to make it level, then disc to secure a mulch,
and the ground is ready for seed. About one-
third of a bushel of seed per acre is required.
Flax requires no further treatment until the time
of harvest, which is usually in the month of Septem-
ber, and there is no pleasanter sight anywhere than

NORTH DAKOTA

The State is well supplied with churches of all denominations

a field of flax in full blossom in the month of August.

This crop is cut and left loose in piles on the
ground, no twine being required. few days
after cutting it is ready for the threshing machine.
When a newcomer to the State who has paid $20
to $40 per acre for his land threshes his first flax
crop and finds it yields fifteen bushels to the acre
and sells for $3 per bushel at the elevator, he is
sure to be satisfied with his future location. The
land which has been in flax is ready to be sown to
spring wheat the following spring without plowing.
When the grass or pasture land is broken up in rota-
tion, it is usually sown to flax. Wilt is a disease
that made flax growing in some of the older states
unprofitable. Wilt-resistant varieties of flax have
been bred by the North Dakota Agricultural
Experiment Station. These varieties make it pos-
sible for the North Dakota farmer to continue to
grow flax as one of his regular crops.

Many people have the idea that corn is a crop
not adapted to North Dakota conditions. In the
winter of 1804 and 1805 Lewis and Clark when on
their way to the Pacific Coast lived through the
winter in this State largely on corn which was
supplied them by the Mandan Indians. Probably
hundreds of years before the white man came to
North Dakota the Indians cultivated corn along

the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark stated that
they had eight distinct varieties of corn.

Corn is grown on over one-half million acres
annually in North Dakota and it is one of the most
certain crops which may be grown in the State if
acclimated varieties are planted. The yield of
shelled corn is high, not uncommonly running over
fifty bushels to the acre.

In 1916 the Bureau of Statistics of the United
States Department of Agriculture places the yield
of corn in North Dakota at 26.5 bushels to the acre.

A field of corn on the North Dakota Experiment
Station was hogged down last fall (1918), the net
income being $45 per acre. An acre of corn if
kept well cultivated can be depended upon to pro-
duce from 200 to 400 pounds of pork. There is
no more efficient corn picking machine than a hog
which has grown up on North Dakota alfalfa.

There are hundreds of silos in the State. In
sections where the water table is not too near the
surface, pit silos are becoming popular.

While North Dakota at present is raising over
half a million acres of corn, the time is soon coming
when 20 per cent of the cultivated land will be put
into this crop. This will mean four or five million
acres, and then the State will be truly one of the
great corn states. The two purposes for which corn

NORTH

‘D

Pio Tr A

Commercial potato growing is a profitable industry in North Dakota

will be grown, are for fattening hogs, and feeding
steers and the dairy cattle which will ultimately
be kept in great numbers. The corn crop is the
one great cultivated crop which can be grown to
good advantage with wheat and the other small
grains.

Potatoes, like corn, are a cultivated field crop
which can be grown quite extensively. At the
present time about 90,000 acres are put into this
crop annually. The quality of North Dakota pota-
toes is excellent, and seed potatoes from this section
are in favor throughout the states in the Central
West and South. Potatoes grown by one farmer in
the northeastern section of the State for the past
seven years averaged 125 bushels to the acre. Dur-
ing that period they gave a net profit of $57.43 an
acre per year. Similar results have been obtained in
many other parts of the State. Wheat following
potatoes will give an average of ten bushels more
to the acre than where wheat follows wheat.

Long before the settler came nature had sown
North Dakota from east to west and north to south
with heavy yielding nutritious grasses. These wild
grasses continued to grow until the land was turned
over by the plow. Several million acres of unbroken
land are pastured and cut over for hay annually,

11

and two of these native grasses have been tamed,
viz., the slender wheat grass and the western rye
grass. They are very desirable pasture and hay
grasses and are being seeded rather extensively.
Timothy is a very profitable hay crop in the Red
River Valley and in some of the more eastern
counties. Brome grass makes one of the best hay
and pasture crops. This grass is so hardy that it
never winter kills, and is a hay that is easy to cure.

A thirty pounder

NORTH

DAKOTA

It produces a better crop of hay than timothy for
all classes of live stock. It comes the first thing
in the spring and is the last grass to stop growing
in the fall. It is more palatable than any other
grass, either native or tame. Under favorable con-
ditions it will grow five feet in height, and will
closely resemble an oat or rye field. While this
grass produces well on the poorer land and under
harsh conditions, there is no other grass that will
respond better to good conditions, to gocd soil, and
to the application of manure.

Sweet clover is a legume crop rapidly coming
into favor in North Dakota for both hay and
pasture purposes. The soils, being sweet, grow
this crop very readily. Contrary to the general
belief, horses, cattle, sheep, and swine when they
once become accustomed to the use of sweet clover
seem to prefer it to anything else, with the excep-
tion of alfalfa or brome grass. Sweet clover hay
when cut and cured at the proper fime yields well,
and at the same time enriches the soil and prepares
it for the growing of alfalfa.

Sweet clover in many cases proved to be a very
profitable crop when left for seed. A yield of three
hundred pounds of seed per acre has frequently
been harvested. It is readily threshed in the
ordinary threshing machine, and the seed can be

12

Thanksgiving birds from this State are in large demand in the Middle West markets

hulled by running through an ordinary hulling
cylinder or through a scarifier a couple of times.

Millet is an annual hay crop that is grown quite
generally by the farmers of this state and as a rule,
yields well; often exceeding three tons per acre.
It makes an excellent grade of hay for all kinds of
cattle, and is planted early in June after the grain
crops are seeded. It is usually cut before frost,
and if well cured makes an excellent hay.

Red Top does well on the lower lands. It is
easily started, does not winter kill, makes good
pasture, and if cut and put up at the proper time
this hay is the equal of timothy for feeding purposes.

Field peas do well in all parts of the State, and
there is no better hog feed than this crop. At the
same time they are a soil enriching plant. Peas
are planted early in the spring, are in full bloom
late in June, and are usually fully matured early in
August. <A yield of fifteen to thirty bushels per
acre is common. Field peas have been worth
$2.50 to $5.00 per bushel during the last five
years. When seeded with oats the mixture of field
peas and oats makes very fine feed for dairy cattle,
such ey being surpassed only by fine well cured
alfalfa.

Alfalfa is North Dakota’s best leguminous hay

we

{

er ee eT ae

Aa vee

» 6d OP tig.

fe,
pe

a Na

: NORTH DAKOTA

Sir Pontio, grand champion at the Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Grand Forks, and Northwestern Fairs, during 1918

crop, the Grimm alfalfa being the most pro-
ductive. It will stand up under average farm
conditions and produce paying crops year after
year. Alfalfa can be cut from one to four times,
depending upon the local conditions, the amount
of rainfall, etc. The climate is such that alfalfa
hay is usually easily cured and a finer quality of
hay can not be produced.

The soils are so rich in lime that it is not necessary
to apply it in order to grow this crop. A good seed
bed, seed of hardy variety (the Grimm), and the
seed properly inoculated are the things necessary
to get a good stand. In western North Dakota
the Alfalfa is often seeded in rows and cultivated.
In the eastern part of the State it is universally
seeded solid and the best farmers cultivate it when
sown either way with a special spring tooth harrow
early in the spring and after each cutting. The
conditions are very favorable to the production of
alfalfa seed—large yields being obtained. Alfalfa
seed crops that have netted over $100 an acre have
not been uncommon and over $200 worth of seed
have been produced per acre under favorable cir-
cumstances in a single season. There is a big
demand for North Dakota ‘‘Grimm”’ alfalfa seed
in states where a hardy variety is desired.

Hemp is being grown in different parts of the State
as a fibre crop. It does well on rich heavy soils.

13

Several thousand acres have been grown for the
past two years. Under favorable conditions it wil!
produce over a ton of fibre per acre. The hemp
grows from six to fifteen feet in height and is one
of the promising new crops in North Dakota.

In no part of the Union do root crops reach
a greater perfection than in North Dakota. It
is not difficult to grow twenty to thirty tons tc
the acre. In combination with hay and straw
there is no better cattle feed obtainable. With
improved machinery the growing of the rutabaga
or Swedish turnip for feed purposes is likely to be
greatly increased, as it is an absolutely sure crop
if properly cultivated. The storage of root crops
is simple. A dug-out or root cellar with a good
roof near the barn is all that is necessary. The
roots can be dug and stored in October when the
other crops are out of the way. They are the best
substitutes for silage. They can be kept until late
in the spring in a well ventilated root cellar without
difficulty.

LIVE STOCK OPPORTUNITIES

The rich limestone soils, the abundant sunshine,
and the dry atmosphere lay the foundation for a
great live stock industry in this State. The native

NOR TH

DAKOTA

oy ai
t

Re ee, oneal ens Stn Vie cas ane ee Re eae Sem RCN te RR: : Biv sayy
:§ pst YE ea we rae a3 a. x

Lignite is a cheap fuel in the State.

grasses are very nutritious, so that cattle can be
finished for market on grass alone.

While grain production is the great industry, live
stock production is one of North Dakota’s greatest
possibilities.

Limestone soils are necessary in producing good
horses. It brings better bone and better quality
than can be secured on other classes of soil. Prairie
pastures of western North Dakota are particularly
adapted to developing sound, strong-legged, tough-
hoofed horses. A strong, well-enforced stallion
registration law insures and provides excellent sires
of recognized draft breeds in each county and
within traveling distance of all farmers.

Pure-bred beef cattle herds of high class are
plentiful here, and they are well distributed so that
herds are near at hand in any part of the State and
offer buyers an easy journey to a good place to pur-
chase a sire.

The price of barley as compared with corn has
taught North Dakota farmers that cattle fed on
barley bring good returns. At an International
Stock Show the North Dakota Agricultural College
showed the Shorthorn grade steer ‘‘Bob’’ who won a
second place in his class. Bob was picked up in
a bunch of steers on the open market and is a good
indication of what can be produced under North
Dakota conditions.

14

ee

Note the thickness of the vein

The climate of North Dakota is particularly well
adapted to sheep. The winter weather being cold
and dry with comparatively little snow, makes
splendid conditions. Pasturing stubble and pas-
turing off standing corn will take care of the fall
grain feeding, and there is enough feed from each
of these sources to fatten a heavy population of
sheep. Screenings also are an excellent fattening
ration. When sheep eat weed seeds the weeds are
entirely destroyed as they grind their feed very fine.
Sheep fit into farm economy unusually well and eat
largely what would otherwise be waste products.
They should not be starved on that account, how-
ever. They do not require warm housing, still they
need special attention, and straw-covered shelters
should be provided, particularly at lambing time.
The small farmer can have lambs born before active
field work begins in the spring, or at a time when he
is not too busy to look after them. The state and
county fairs of North Dakota give ample evidence
that there are good pure bred flocks enough to supply
breeding stock of high quality for the entire State.

The man who understands hog feeding and man-
agement can do well with that class of stock in
North Dakota. To get good returns and paying
results from hogs they should be farrowed in March
and April and put on the market in November or
early December. In other words, they should be

Nutritious grasses lay the foundation for the live stock industry in North Dakota

made to weigh 200 pounds by the time they are
eight months old. It is always necessary to make a
reasonable amount of that gain on pasture. Alfalfa,
sweet clover, rape, and pasture mixtures of cereals,
rape and peas can all be used as desired. Alfalfa
makes the most satisfactory pasture. Following the
pasturing period, during which time they should
have about 2!4 pounds of grain per 100 pounds of
live weight, they may be pastured on field peas by
giving them access to a strip at a time until the pea
crop is cleaned up, after which they should be turned
in to corn.

The live stock population of North Dakota can be
increased many fold without curtailing the produc-
tion of small grains. The crops that are necessary
to rotate with grain crops to keep up yields can be
marketed to the best advantage by feeding to live
stock.

North Dakota, with its relatively cheap lands and
fertile soils that are adapted to the growing of crops
suitable for the use of dairy animals, is destined to
become one of the leading dairy states. It has, in
fact, already made rapid strides in that direction
as is evidenced by the increase in number of dairy
cows during the past two decades. In 1900 they

numbered 125,000. This number has _ increase

rapidly and steadily at the rate of about 10 per cer

per year until at present there are approximatel

ig dairy cows contributing to the wealth of tk
tate.

Progressive North Dakota stockmen have imported thoroug!
bred sires from Europe and high grade herds are
plentiful over the State

pate
b=} See
Stady o Plumer Upland
Elta® OMcCiwlough
oN Ora
£ ee

Gladys =
Bonetraill~
f vetrayl

Hesnault

fF a= =

Zs = Epalton
‘o Kasmer

ol Cel
> S

U
oFayette-Renvilleo
q Manning

G
{ Mikkelson = == nips i
Fairfield? Snow 2

Cre Knife Ri
Gorham, Ww ainvea © (Cracked A = =
Aa Fmerse

oy \ Ukraina | Libby B == Yank
Crean New! ee bein over Sh
BI LLIN_G r Hradec* iss
2—<$<— cc} x 2 ra - ~

itter Creek

Ke Bluegrass 0
¥Youngstown
Antelope Ead es
o wy BOE. =
K | &e Sim Sweetbriai

ait Gt

Scheficld pias
Lef! RE
Sor made 52

i
z Q
>
on aN
ro} z
= Church

Se aT So-H ESN

° nh ierbe | Regem™ Mi — —
is 53 Alden o Pe Rcas oes
ba} Kennedy oxo B.S

< Fj
—~ = s we" = =

Havelock.

=
ar

= q 7 =
= Pierson eigh : Ba aLiberty

.; — = =
< ° . S Wolf Butte Chiles Ne stig :
f 3 pos aks CN z ; ©Otterberg Paradise =
ucyrus Owers-~
a = ; : 2 Howe

Hettinge Swastika
Concord RASH art : eon = 2
- a = ae

——_—_—

Sess ee we
Walhalla” yon Seca
{ la pathrale Me its
= - ree — z

Ay
= \, Hamilton

= Jeavalier:

mM BIINA

ay starkw athor 4 2
Edmor:
es \E

= Veseleyville, Mi

{nak
o (| Luverne

Kilbernio—
Boynta\n &.

O'Si;

Copyright, by Rand McNally & Co. 7210

NORTH

DAKOTA

Le

North Dakota has 5,300 schools. Over $7,000,000 expended
on common schools in 1917. It is the rural schools that
represent the very foundation of the educational
welfare of the people

This development of dairy farming is based on
fundamental reasons that become more urgent as
population increases, large farms being divided into
smaller units, and the demands on the land increase.
These reasons briefly stated are as follows:

_Dairy farming uses labor at full capacity, effi-
ciently and economically throughout the year.
It puts farming operations more nearly on a cash
basis as a result of a constant, steady income.

It is adapted to high-priced lands and is, there-
1 a still greater profit producer on less expensive
and.

The dairy cow is the most economical and efficient
transformer of farm products into human food.

The return of manure to the soil improves the
fertility and makes greater profits always possible.

The highly valued dairy feeds, both roughages
and concentrates, are produced abundantly in the
State. Legumes, such as clover and alfalfa, grow
luxuriantly, while the by-products of wheat —wheat
bran, middlings, and shorts are abundant. The
use of varieties of corn adapted to the climatic
conditions renders silage an easily obtainable
roughage to add succulence to the winter ration.

18

¢
A group of boys judging dairy cattle. These boys are attending
the Boys and Girls Institute which is held at the
Agricultural College annually

All breeds of dairy cattle do well in the State
and while one breed may be more popular than the
other there are no climatic conditions which exclude
any breed.

POULTRY

The abundance of prairie chickens and the almost
countless numbers of ducks that live about the
lakes are an indication of the adaptability of North
Dakota to poultry production.

The poultry interests are being pushed;

First. By the organization ot poultry associations
in the State; and through them, and their influence
in conducting poultry shows and other poultry
demonstrations. There are now about ten of these
organizations at work.

Second. By activities of the extension division
and experiment station of the college in the assem-
bling and disseminating of information and avail-
able material, and the active campaign of Boys’
and Girls’ Poultry Clubs; members of which raised
about 15,000 pure bred chickens in 1918.

Third. By the strenuous campaign of the United
States Department of Agriculture for increased pro-

NORTH

DAKOTA

PS Pew Negra mime ee

*

Nearly one hundred and seventy thousand sheep on North Dakota farms spring of 1918. Splendid
opportunity for many thousands more

duction of poultry during the years 1917 and 1918.
With the wide ranges of pasture land in some
parts of the State much more can and should be
made of turkeys. The cost of growing under these
conditions is slight and returns are excellent.

The numerous streams, small lakes and wide
ranges afford excellent opportunities for the pro-
duction of ducks and geese and those who have
entered upon this branch of the poultry work in
the State find the returns exceptionally good.

While there are not exceptionably large individual
poultry farms in North Dakota, there are many
farms and town lots on which may be found large
flocks of well bred, healthy, fine quality fowls of
all varieties, chickens, turkey, ducks and geese.
The farmers and breeders of North Dakota are
beginning to recognize this opportunity. Thou-
sands of chicks are hatched to-day where hundreds
were hatched a few years ago. A good beginning
has only been made.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Small plantings of apples have been made in all
yarts of the State, with rather indifferent success,
except in the southern tier of counties, where there
are good bearing orchards of such varieties as the

19

Hibernal, Wealthy, Patten’s Greening, and Iowa
Beauty. Crab apples, excepting only those subject
to blight, can be grown in any section. The only
other tree fruits hardy in North Dakota are the
native plum and compass cherry. The many cul-
tivated varieties of these offered for sale by nursery-
men succeed in practically all parts of the State.
In the western section such varieties of grape as
the Beta, Moore, Early, and Hungarian are success-
fully grown. Currants and gooseberries find a con-
genial soil and climate in all parts and the hardier

The County Agents of several counties arranged for and had
charge of this boys’ encampment

NOIR TA DAKOTA

Marketing the corn in a pig skin sack. Nearly half a million head at the beginning of 1918, on North Dakota farms

varieties of raspberries do well planted near a wind-
break so that they remain covered with snow. By
taking advantage of windbreaks and making a care-
ful selection of soil, strawberries can be successfully
grown on almost every farm. Such standard
varieties as the Warfield, Senator Dunlap, and
Progressive, are as easily grown and are as produc-
tive in North Dakota as in many other sections.

There are but few vegetables that can not be
produced abundantly and cheaply. This is espe-
cially true of celery, onions, parsnips, and the like,
that require deep, mellow soil. The earlier sorts
of sweet corn and tomatoes can be readily grown
in all parts. On different occasions one thousand
bushels of ripe tomatoes have been picked from a
single acre at Fargo.

During the past season celery of only ordinary
size readily brought sixty-five cents per dozen in
any of the State markets. As an acre of land
produces approximately 1500 dozen, it can readily
be seen that there are decided possibilities in the
way of celery growing.

Another crop especially suited, that likewise
brings large returns, is asparagus. The demand
for this, at twenty cents per pound, far exceeds
the supply, and the market has so far been very
imperfectly developed. A farm garden on any
farm with no greater expenditure of money and

labor than would be put in in the average farming
region, can be made to produce a very large part of
the food for the family throughout the year, begin-
ning with asparagus in May and ending with celery
and the root crops in the fall. There are advantages
of living in a state where vegetables and horticul-
tural products of various kinds can be easily grown,
even if they are applied chiefly to home use.

NORTH. DAKOTA. TREES AND SHRUBBERY

The forest tree growth is confined to the banks of
streams and to the regions in the vicinity of Devils
Lake and the northern part of the State, particularly
the Pembina and Turtle mountains.

The native species comprise the American Elm,
Linden, Burr Oak, Black Willow, Hackberry, Box
Elder, Green Ash, White Poplar, and Cottonwood.
In addition to these there are the larger shrubs like
the Wild Plum, Chokecherry, Red and Black Haw,
and the Buffalo Berry. There are also a con-
siderable number of the smaller shrubs such as the
Highbush Cranberry, Red Dogwood, Flowering
Currant, the Wild Roses and several other species
of lesser importance.

The treeless condition of a large part of the State
does not indicate that the region is not suitable for
trees, any more than that the prairie districts of

ee

NORTH DAKOTA

v

A visitor to North Dakota will be impressed with the character of the school buildings

Illinois and Iowa would indicate that trees could not never be without the adornments that are considered
be grown there. Trees do well in all parts of the necessary around a modern home.
State when given proper care.

The Cottonwood has been very extensively

planted for groves, with fairly satisfactory results. _ SCHOOLS

The Cottonwood, however, is better suited for The state constitution provides for a system of
planting as single specimens than in a solid grove. free public schools extending from the primary grades.
The Box Elder is extensively used as a shade tree to the University and Agricultural College. Thus
for which it is well suited, on account of its rapid b ae = Re cae

growth and dense, bushy habit. The Elm grows
readily everywhere if given fair treatment and is
especially well suited to street planting in cities and
towns. The ordinary Gray or White Willow, while
not a native of this country, grows readily and is
the most valuable tree for windbreaks and shelter
belts. It also is well suited for grove planting, mak-
ing a rapid growth that can be used both for fuel
and for posts. The Native Ash is particularly well
suited for grove planting, especially on the lighter,
drier soils where the Box Elder, Elm and Willow are
not so well adapted. There are a number of the
conifers like the Douglas Spruce, Colorado Blue
Spraice, Black Hills Spruce, Jack Pine, and Bull Pine
that will grow as well here as in most other places,
after they have once become established.

The standard flowering shrubs that are ordinarily
grown for ornamental purposes, like the Lilac,

The broad, level prairies make tractor farming profitable
Snowball, and Honeysuckle, do well, so that one need and attractive to many E

iWOR TOS DAK OTA

Good highways will be found in all parts of the State

the advantages of free education in the common and
secondary schools and institutions of higher learning
are open to all.

The basis of education is the common schools, and
in this State, largely rural in character, it is the rural
schools that represent the very foundation of the
educational welfare of the people. A large land
grant was received for the common schools—not less
than one-eighteenth of the total area of the State
having been allotted as an endowment. Sections 16
and 36 of each township of land belong to the com-
mon school fund, a total of 2,521,584 acres. A con-
stitutional provision forbids the selling of any of the
school land for less than $10 per acre. The total
amount received from land sold is nearly $19,000,000
and the estimated value of unsold lands, $31,000,000.
The fund for the common schools will, therefore,
exceed $50,000,000. The income from this sum is
apportioned to the various districts of the State
according to the number of children of school age
therein.

It is not only in the possession of this large state
fund for school support that North Dakota is fortu-
nate, but there are various other conditions which
have conspired to place the State in the front rank
in excellence of the common schools. It is now
generally recognized that consolidation is a means of

bo
bo

rural school betterment and nearly five hundred of
such schools are now organized, with suitable pro-
vision for free transportation of pupils. Thousands
of farm children are attending, being well housed and
well taught. An increasing number of farm children
not only are completing the eighth grade here, but
find high school courses available. Through the
country consolidated school system, secondary edu-
cation for all—an ideal characteristic of the North-
west—is fast becoming a reality. Here will be found
the spirit of modern education, such as hot lunches,
nurses engaged by the counties, and progressive
courses of study.

The high schools receive state aid according to
their classification under the state board of educa-
tion. Many of the high schools of the State occupy
splendid new buildings and do a grade of work
comparing favorably with that accomplished in any
part of the Union. A visitor to North Dakota will
be impressed with the character of the school build-
ings which are usually the most notable and con-
spicuous features in the towns and cities. While
the majority of the North Dakota high schools are
of the general type, many of them maintain depart-
ments of agriculture, home economics, and manual
training.

INO URE

DD AReer A

“Fording” a North Dakota wheat field

In the field of higher education this State ranks
well. Excellent performance stands to the credit of
the educators. In the normal school field signal
success has been achieved. Scientists and writers
in the educational service are recognized as author-
ities far beyond the boundaries of their own state.
The Agricultural College at Fargo has a large enroll-
ment. The State University at Grand Forks also
has a large attendance. The five normal schools at
Valley City, Mayville, Minot, Dickinson, and Ellen-
dale graduate large classes and the influence of their
graduates is felt in every section. The State Uni-
versity maintains a school of medicine, school of
education, college of law, college of engineering,
college of liberal arts, and a graduate department.
The State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts
is devoted to technology. It maintains schools of
engineering, chemistry, pharmacy, agriculture, veter-
inary science, and education. Its work in biology
has attracted wide and favorable attention. Its
extension work reaches into every district. The
director of extension is in charge of the county agri-
cultural agents. Under the Smith-Lever Act the
Agricultural College becomes the center of a campaign
of popular enlightenment in vocational fields.

In addition to the major institutions of higher
learning, a State School of Forestry at Bottineau and

North Dakota is in the “‘corn belt.’’ Half a million acres
devoted to this crop annually

NORTH

DAKOTA

The Home Demonstration Agents of the Extension Division,
Agricultural College, help the farmers wife
to solve her problems

a State School of Science at Wahpeton are main-
tained.

CHURCHES

You will find a church home in North Dakota.
Next to the family house the church home is most
important. The religious and church life of the
State on the whole is strong and aggressive. It is
producing results as is shown by the large numbers
of churches which have outgrown their present
buildings and are erecting permanent structures, as
well as by the large number of accessions to member-
ship reported each year, and the increasing stream
of benevolences contributed.

People of many states and lands have come and
brought their religion with them. Churches of all
denominations, Protestant and Catholic, are to be
found in every locality, and those whose religious
views are different from those of the greater mass of
people—Dunkards, Mennonites, Latter Day Saints,
and various others—can usually find certain locali-
ties where many of the same faith are ready and
anxious to welcome them.

Tolerance and co-operation appear to be the spirit
which animates the various denominations. In

Good buildings will be found on practically every farm,
a sure sign that farming in this State
is successful

pioneer days there was so much work to be done
that every worker was kept busy and the field was
so large that there was ample room for all.

The Country Life Movement, or Rural Community
Development Idea, is gaining a strong hold on the
life of the churches. The late Colonel Roosevelt
did a great thing for North Dakota when he ap-
pointed, during his term as President, the country
life commissions. The report of that commission
has had a profound effect upon the church life of
the State, which is, of course, predominantly rural.
In some cases also this community work seems to
reflect on the churches in the neighborhood and draw
them more closely together. ‘

THE COUNTY AGENTS

The services of the county agricultural agents are -
devoted to practically all of the state agricultural
problems. However, to the farmer who contem-
plates moving into the State it might be interesting
to note that crop production, live stock improve-
ment, and the marketing problems demand the major
portion of the county agent’s time. It is along these
lines that the agents are rendering a wonderful ser-

NORTH “DAKOTA

A Rectan scat REN LY
. Pops a a jm = ‘

Good farmers, good cows, good hogs; produce “‘good buildings”

vice to the farmers, and especially to those who are
not thoroughly familiar with conditions.

Because of the large acreage of small grain, the
county agent has rendered a great service in locating
high producing varieties of wheat, oats, barley, etc.
Five thousand farmers were assisted by the county
agents during 1918 in testing for purity and germi-
nation. Two thousand farmers were assisted in
purchasing alfalfa seed, the agents realizing the
necessity of northern grown seed for the natural
alfalfa soil. Nine thousand farmers were advised
on the growing of crops. This service is of special
value to the new farmer.

The North Dakota Experiment Station has a vast
amount of valuable information on the various
varieties of small grains, alfalfa, clover, corn, etc.,
which is the result of years of experiments at the
various experiment stations located throughout the
State. Practically all of this information is in the
hands of the county agent and is of special value
to those who are not familiar with highest producing
varieties of grain.

_ The county agents have valuable information on
cultural methods in growing crops. They are ren-
dering a great service in increasing and improving

25

the live stock conditions. During 1918 county
agents have purchased for farmers more than
275 pure bred bulls, about the same number of pure
bred cows, 155 pure bred rams, and 190 pure bred
boars, while through the county agent exchange
lists approximately 3,600 head of pure bred and high
grade stock have been purchased and sold for the
farmers. - This not only affords an exchange for the
farmer, but also places at his service an agent who
can locate desired stock on short notice or find a
purchaser.

Class in dairying at the Agricultural College

—$<$$—$$—$—$<$<$——$$-_ $<

NORTH

DAKOTA

Barley is one of the important crops and is a valuable feed for stock

Considerable time has been devoted by the county
agents to the marketing problem of the State. Live
stock shipping associations, wool marketing asso-
ciations, potato marketing associations, and seed
marketing associations, have been organized which
have proved a great help to the farmer. Many
agents have assisted in the organization of farmers’
cO operative elevator companies.

The county agent is one of the first men in the
county to see when looking over land, and when
starting to farm, he can furnish valuable information
on the kinds of crops and cultural methods that
bring best results. Do not experiment; get in touch
with the county agent and start right.

TRANSPORTATION AND MARKETS

An inspection of the map herein, will show at
once the advantages the State enjoys in the matter
of transportation. Four great Transcontinental
Railroads with their main and branch lines reach
into and traverse practically every county of the
State.

The Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Minneap-
olis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie, Chicago, Miul-
waukee & St. Paul, Chicago & North Western, and
Farmers’ Grain and Shipping Railroads, are repre-

sented in the State by Main Lines and branches.
This gives North Dakota direct lines of railway and
quick service to the great industrial centers of the
country, by all rail, or by rail and boat, and puts all
of the great markets on a competitive basis for
North Dakota’s products.

North Dakota produces the highest quality of
hard spring wheat which at present is largely sent
to Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Superior and the
east. The State is well supplied with line and
eae owned elevators and has a number of flour
mills.

Here will be found a large number of codpera-
tively owned creameries and some large central
butter making plants. Cream shipping stations
are operated at practically all towns without
creameries. It is the plan of the State to build
cold storage warehouses at the leading railroad
centers, where butter can be stored and sent to
the large markets in car load lots.

Most of the live stock is now sold on the South
St. Paul and Chicago markets. Codperative pack-
ing plants are located at Fargo and Grand Forks.

Many potato warehouses have been built and
many others projected. The North Dakota Potato
Growers’ Association is formulating a comprehensive

Along the banks of one of the numerous streams to be found in the State

plan for codperative marketing. The rapid growth
of potato production leads to the belief that the
State will soon be one of America’s greatest potato
sections.

Most of the flax is shipped to Minneapolis and
Duluth and there run through the crushers and the
oil extracted.

The splendid transportation facilities insures
rapid transit to market and the location of the State
gives a choice of markets. These are great advan-
tages in marketing and especially for live stock,
butter, eggs, and potatoes.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Probably no other state in the Union is so exclu-
sively confined to agriculture as North Dakota.
An annual wealth production of between $200 and
$300 per capita derived almost exclusively from
agriculture will at once indicate the importance of this
pursuit.

The extensive prairies of rich land require only
intelligent farming to perpetuate their wonderful
productiveness.

The soil, climate and the records of North Da-
kota’s crops and live stock are ample guarantees
of profit and increase to the farmer.

AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION

North Dakota has an exceptionally well developed
program for the investigation of its agricultural
problems.

The central Experiment Station is at Fargo.
The five sub-stations are at Edgeley, Dickinson,
Williston, Hettinger, and Langdon. The work at
the first four is in codperation with the United
States Department of Agriculture. At Mandan
the North Dakota Experiment Station codperates
with the Federal Great Plains Station. To further
supplement these, State demonstration farms are
operated in the following counties; Pembina,
Emmons, Walsh, Stutsman, Nelson, Grand Forks,

Ransom, Renville, Hettinger, Morton, Dickey,
Traill, Pierce, Barnes, Williams, Richland, and
McLean. On these demonstration farms the work,

which is largely trying out rotations, is planned by
the Agricultural Experiment Station, but carried
on by farmers with their ordinary farm equipment.
By operating at so many points the Experiment
Station secures information on the farm problems
in all parts of the State.

Through bulletins, circulars, etc., this information
is made available to the public. These can be
secured free by writing to the North Dakota Agri-
cultural College, Fargo.

NOR T Hey DAR OTA

A boy and his “‘acre cornfield’’ produced 1033 bushels—a
record to be proud of by ‘‘any boy” ‘‘anywhere”’

Detail soil surveys are being made. Several
counties have been mapped and the reports pub-
lished.

The workers in the Agricultural Extension Divi-
sion are composed of County Agricultural Agents,
Home Demonstration Agents, Boys’ and_ Girls’
Club Leaders, and Specialists who meet with the
farmer and his family on the farm and in meetings
in the counties.

Long and short courses in Agriculture, Home
Economics, and Engineering are given at the
Agricultural College. These vary from two weeks
short courses and three years courses of six months
each open to any one, to the four years courses
requiring a high school training for entrance.

The county agents, home demonstration agents,
and boys’ and girls’ club leaders put on a week’s
short course in agriculture and home economics at
one or two points in each county during the winter.
They also hold a good many one and two day
meetings. The extension specialist and members
of the Agricultural College faculty and the Experi-
ment Station staff assist at these meetings.

The Department of Agriculture and Labor at
Bismarck sends out speakers to conduct one and
two day farmers’ institutes.

28

The silo is making its appearance all over North Dakota—a
sure sign that farmers are progressing and making money

Agriculture and Home Economics are taught in
many of the consolidated schools as well as most
of the high schools.

Elementary courses in Agriculture and Home Eco-
nomics are given in the four normal schools at Valley
City, Mayville, Minot, and Dickinson; in the Sci-
ence School at Wahpeton; the Industrial Normal
School at Ellendale; and at the Agricultural and
Training school at Park River and at Maddock.

Farmers’ clubs have been organized in most
communities, where the farmers and their families
gather to discuss the farm problems and for a
social time.

Traveling libraries composed of sets of books on
agriculture and on general subjects are sent out
by the Library Commission at Bismarck so that
any community that will pay the express one way
can have one of these sets of books, and when
through with it a new one can be sent for.

The Agricultural College is prepared to render
any community aid in preparing a program. The
package library contains material for debates,
material for preparing talks or addresses, recitations,
dialogues, plays, pageants, etc. Lantern slides and
motion picture films are also furnished. This serv-
ice also includes help in preparing the musical part

NOR Haye D AK OT A

More than 2,000 elevators with a capacity of 60,000,000 bushels are operating in North Dakota

yf the program. Any one desiring any kind of
ielp in preparing a program should write the North
Dakota Agricultural College. Requests for this
ervice have come from every state in the Union
und from foreign lands.

Two State fairs are held annually. The one for
he eastern part of the State meets alternate years
it Fargo and Grand Forks. The western fair is
1eld annually at Mandan.

Fairs are held in many of the counties.

Many of the newspapers publish the articles on
farm and home topics distributed by the Agricul-
tural College; in this way making available the
latest information on agriculture and home eco-
nomics.

LAND VALUES

Land Values are still low in North Dakota. The
better Red River Valley lands are selling from $40
to $100 per acre depending on location and improve-
ments. In the central part of the State the land will
average $10 less per acre than in the Red River
Valley. In the extreme western part of the state
good farm lands sell for $15 to $40 per acre and
pasture and grazing lands sell correspondingly
cheaper. It is not uncommon for a single crop to
pay the cost of purchasing a farm. The great
acreage of available farming lands with the still
:

-

sparse population has kept the price of land down,
in many cases much below its actual earning value.
In several instances during 1918, wheat yielded
thirty to forty bushels per acre and brought a gross
income of $60 to $80 an acre on land that can be
bought for less than $60 an acre. The same is
true of much of the land which has been seeded to
flax, ever since the State has been settled.

CREDIT

The Federal Land Bank has locals in all parts of
the State through which loans can be secured on
real estate up to 50 per cent of its value on the
amortization plan with 5 to 36 years in which to

AS = ye

he buffalo roamed over the prairies of North Dakota. Their hardi-
ness and growth attest to the value of the native grasses

29

NORTH

DAKOTA

make the payments. The State Bank also makes
loans on real estate on much the same plan. It
has this provision however that in case of crop
failure, that reduces the income by one-half, the
payments may be extended another year. The
Home Makers Law makes provision whereby those
who desire to buy a home in town or a farm home
can, by organizing in groups of ten or more, buy a
home or a farm by making a first payment of one-
fifth the purchase price.

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
NORTH DAKOTA

Assessed valuation, $403,422,258, in 1918.

An actual valuation of $2,017,111,290.

A population of 680,000.

A per capita wealth of $2,966. In 1914 the per
capita wealth of the entire United States was
$1,318.11.

Value of North Dakota’s agricultural products in
1918 was $431,758,297; being a per capita produc-
tion of $888 for the rural population of 486,405,
or a little over $6,000 per farm.

73,346 motor vehicles in 1918, being one for every
nine inhabitants.

698 State and 167 National banks, with total deposits
of $175,000,000, or over $250 per capita.

30

The Dairy cow is making herself known in North Dakota, value of her products twenty-five million dollars in 1918

One bank for every 786 inhabitants.

32,000 square miles of the State are underlaid with
more than 600 billions of tons of high grade lignite
coal.

One million tons of lignite coal were mined in 1918,
from 194 mines.

North Dakota has the highest grade clay in the
United States for pressed brick, fire brick, and pot-
tery. Pressed brick products are being shipped
both east and west to both coasts, and throughout
the Canadian Northwest.

In 1918 grains were raised as follows: Wheat, 101,-
010,000 bushels; oats, 60,512,000 bushels; barley,
37,281,000,000 bushels; flax, 6,864,000 bushels; rye,
20,422,000 bushels.

6,377 miles of fully equipped railroads in operation,
or 1 mile for each 109 people.

835 post offices, with 600 rural free delivery routes,
reaching practically every farmer in the State.
75,000 miles of long distance telephone lines.

336 newspapers.

238 incorporated cities and villages.

Over 70,000 miles of highways in the State, of which
50,000 miles are graded and drained, and 2,000
miles graveled.

An arable land surface of 40,000,000 acres, with

NORTH DAKOTA

BURKE ead eso
TT

McHENRY

{
WARD 16.06 |

18.27 |o sa

\ j\o85
CAVALIER 85 GINA

5

/ LE
McKENZIE N_}0 FR a

|

ee

‘BILLINGS ! i | fe
OLDEN | 1 OLIVER ,

o 17.92 |
°
WELLS

Rainfall map, showing average rainfall for past twenty years

70,149 farms in 1918, an average of 411 acres
to each farm, and a total cultivated acreage of
17,928,000.

Natural gas is found in commercial quantities in the
northern part of the State, and is in use for illumi-
nating and industrial purposes.

The value of food animals killed for home use in
1917 was $5,828,000.

North Dakota received in 1917, for cattle, hogs and
sheep sold, $17,813,000.

North Dakota farmers paid out in 1917, $16,294,000
in farm wages.

Value of the dairy and creamery industry in 1918
was $25,000,000.

In the Spring of 1918 there were in the State 648,273
horses; 7,088 mules; 983,075 cattle; 167,235 sheep;
‘447, 808 hogs, and 278, 866 milch cows.

‘¢ than 2,000 elevators, with a capacity of over

a1

60,000,000 bushels, are used every year to handle the
grain products of the State.

North Dakota is now definitely located within the
corn belt of the United States, the dent varieties
having been successfully ripened in every county of
the State for several years; the average yield per acre
approximates that of many of the larger corn-grow-
ing states. Silos have come into extensive use,
there being now about 2,500 in the State.

While the acreage of wheat, barley, rye and flax in
1918 exceeded that of any other state in the Union,
less than half of its arable area is under the plow,
and no greater opportunity exists anywhere for suc-
cessfully engaging in agricultural pursuits.

It may be truly stated that North Dakota of-
fers a comfortable home and prospective wealth
to the energetic and thrifty and extends a wel-
come to the man of modest means who possesses
these qualifications, as well as to the man with
capital.

NORTH DAKOTA a.

The end zs Serieet ie
ISSUED BY

United States Railroad Administration
° PAGRIGULZTURAL SECTION

J. L. EDWARDS, Manager
WASHINGTON, D.C.

FOR THE USE OF ALL RAILROADS
IN THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA

For Further Information, address

Rano McNaLty & Co,
CHICAGO

ee ED
site ie tas

en

‘We
ro s A
ie Hh)